1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for changing an operation mode of a dual mode terminal, and in particular, to an apparatus and a method for automatically changing an operation mode of a dual mode terminal between a service provided in a specific area (for example, a WiFi service) and a mobile communication service.
2. Description of the Prior Art
WiFi (wireless fidelity) is an alias of a wireless LAN, and connotates that a wireless network can be used as conveniently as a high-fidelity (HiFi) audio system. The wireless LAN may provide a communication service such as the Internet to wireless terminals (for example, a personal digital assistant and a notebook computer) located within a predetermined distance from a wireless access point. The service range of the wireless LAN was initially as small as 10 meters, and has been extended up to 50 to several hundred meters. Additionally, a data transfer rate of the wireless LAN has been increased up to 4 to 11 Mbps, and thereby has enabled transmission/reception of large size multimedia content. Accordingly, the wireless LAN is used to provide a high-speed data service to clients located in a building such as a school, airport, and hotel.
As the wireless LAN service is commercialized, dual mode terminals providing a WiFi service and a mobile communication service are being developed to provide the wireless LAN service. That is, the dual mode terminals are being developed to provide both WiFi and mobile communication services.
The dual mode terminal includes a WiFi module for a WiFi service and a mobile communication module (for example, a CDMA module) for a mobile communication service. When inside a WiFi service area, the dual mode terminal operates in a WiFi service mode. When outside the WiFi service area, the dual mode terminal operates in a mobile communication service mode. In order to accomplish this mode change, a user must manually change the operation mode of the terminal whenever entering or leaving a WiFi service area.
Additionally, in the case of a dual mode terminal including a plurality of operation modes, power must be supplied to all the devices related to individual operation modes so that the operation mode can be changed by identifying movement from one service area to another service area. This raises issues of wasted power resources. For example, when WiFi and mobile communication modules are both switched on in the dual mode terminal supporting the WiFi and mobile communication services, a great amount of power is needed to operate both modules.